The New Reality After a Workforce Reduction
Congratulations! Your scope of responsibilities just expanded! An adjacent product line is now under your control, along with 3 additional direct reports and 50 people in total. Sorry, you don’t get a raise or a change in title. Just a portfolio to run with 20 less people than were working on this last week.
That’s the reality faced by survivors of a downsizing. And it’s happening even in a time of robust national job growth. Despite over 900K jobs being added from January to March of 2024, employment is lumpy. SAP announced 8K layoffs in January. Dell and Microsoft cut 6K and 1900 respectively. Apple, IBM, Fisker and Bumble all have announced reductions.
The Human Cost of Downsizing
Losing Colleagues and Processing the Impact
It’s hard to lose colleagues. We immediately mourn their loss. We worry about their future, though most of them will do just fine. Taking the extra step of offering to be a networking connection for them in their job search will pay dividends. As things sink in, we turn our attention to ourselves.
The Survivor Experience
Productivity, Guilt, and Uncertainty
LeadershipIQ’s survey of downsizing survivors shows that 74% say their own productivity has declined and that 87% are less likely to recommend their company as a great place to work. Sixty-one percent of remaining employees believe their company’s prospects are worse than before the downsizing. Survivor’s guilt is a real thing. The good thing is that it doesn’t last long. The bad thing is that it is replaced with the realization that you are doing more than one person’s old job.
Taking Control of the New Workload
Prioritization and Alignment With Your Manager
It’s unlikely that anybody has figured out how you and your remaining colleagues will get the work done. It’s on you to figure this out and then to talk to your manager to get alignment. Don’t bring your manager the problem; give them your solution and get their buy-in. This is the time to use your prioritization and delegation skills. Consider the higher order responsibilities you’ve assumed. How much time will they take? What things of lesser importance need to go to somebody else, need to be checked on less frequently or can be eliminated entirely?
Letting Go of Low-Value Work
Why Stopping Work Is So Hard and So Necessary
Companies are notoriously bad at endings. Deciding to stop doing a task is an indication that it wasn’t important in the past, something that might be hard to admit. But your world has changed. Some things just are not as important as others. And there are few things more liberating than to stop doing a low-priority item.
Supporting Your Team Through the Transition
Helping Others Prioritize and Delegate
Now, think about the people who work for you. Some of your old responsibilities may cascade down to them. They should go through the same prioritization and delegation process as you, but they might not be as adept at it as you. This might be a good time to familiarize your reports with an Eisenhower matrix, as follows:
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Remember, it is likely that no task is completely unnecessary. But there are some things that are not mission critical that just might have to be deleted. As a manager, you can help those who report to you by keeping those items in “Delete” out of update discussions.
Navigating Without Organizational Support
Finding Your Own Sounding Board
Your colleagues whose jobs were eliminated might get outplacement help. You are expected to navigate the issues you face without organizational help. If you have a coach, a mentor or a group you lean on for support, now is the time to reach out.
Creating Your Own Exit Plan
Preparing for What Comes Next
Finally, create your own exit plan. Maybe your company will get it right, find a new level of efficiency and start on a new strategy of growth. Maybe you will find deep satisfaction in your new, broader responsibilities and see a path for career
development. Maybe not. If your fears about the company’s and your own prospects persist, consider a new career opportunity while maintaining your current work. If you’ve been helping colleagues who were let go, they can reciprocate, having connected with companies that you’re likely to target. Reach out to headhunters to let them know you’re looking at options. Have your goals straight; a job search should focus on finding an opportunity outside of your current employer, not to leverage for better pay or a more senior title. Over half of managers who accept a counteroffer are gone within a year.
Moving Forward After Downsizing
Planning Your Path Through Uncertainty
When companies make workforce cuts, those left behind face trauma, guilt and uncertainty. They don’t get the equivalent help of an outplacement consultant, and they find themselves on their own to figure out a path through a newly laid minefield. Having a plan in place and a sounding board to confide in can be critical to your continued success.
